High-maintenance by design, golf course putting greens require special watering, mowing and growing techniques. Oftentimes, their playability dictates the competitive quality of the test for the golfer. Thus, the integrity of their condition is of paramount concern to golf course owners and operators.
The putting surface, however, is susceptible to flying golf balls. At least eighteen times in a golfer's round, the ball will enter the green, many times leaving a damaging mark, known as a “divot,” that looks like a small crater. More precisely, at the point of contact with the putting surface, the spinning golf ball splits the green's surface and separates the grass by leaving a depression up to a half-inch in depth and a full inch (or more) in length. Unrepaired divots present a problem for both golfers and groundskeepers.
Many golfers are equipped with traditional divot repair tools. However, the tools tend to be underutilized and/or ineffectively used. A number of patents related to divot repair tools have issued. There are several retractable divot repair tools that store a blade member in the cavity of a housing when not in use and allow a golfer to deploy them for application in divot repair. One example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,837,807 (Kerr) features a housed device that has a power assisted blade member and a locking mechanism that can be activated when held in the hand. Another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,620,062 (Taylor, Pearman) discloses a retractable device that allows the tines to leverage a spring to be deployed and contracted into a housing. Another tool, U.S. Pat. No. 7,238,125 (Dymling) discloses that tines can be stored in a housing and deployed with a sliding mechanism for use.
Described herein are improved divot repair tools.